


Replacement Goldfish

by zombiekittiez



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie and Cheryl being friends, Barchie if you squint, But not romantic pining, Coping, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Happy Ending, Male-Female Friendship, Pining, Recovery, Sharing Clothes, Sweet, Varchie (limited), bad with tags, bughead - Freeform, fluff kinda, i dunno, spoilers for episode 12, weird friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 14:02:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10832754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombiekittiez/pseuds/zombiekittiez
Summary: “Take a look at the cuff. No, the other one. See, the buttons don't quite match. One got caught in my hair when Jason grabbed my beanie off my head and threw it in the street. A truck ran it over. It was a sad day in the life of a Jones.”“Oh,” said Archie weakly.“Why,pray tell,do you have Jason Blossom's shirt?”“...Cheryl.” said Archie quietly.Jughead spun in a frustrated little circle. “Arch-”





	Replacement Goldfish

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly wrote this for a riverdale kink meme but there's no sex so I probably did this wrong, lol.

Archie stood on the steps to Thornhill manor, box proffered like an offering to a fiery goddess. 

“It was a _gift,_ Andrews.” Cheryl rolled her eyes. “I get that the middle class are against noblesse oblige, but considering the V.C. Andrews level of fucked-up-ed-ness you had to deal with, I'd say you probably earned it.” 

“I can't accept it, it's too much. I should have said no thank you and just come to be supportive.” Archie looked up at her with puppy warm eyes. “I'm really sorry about everything.” 

“What in the _hell_ am I going to do with a Les Paul?” 

“Play it?” 

“I am operatically trained, Archie. I had four years of violin, seven years of assorted dance. Five years of gymnastics. Acting lessons. Ice skating. I didn't have time to learn guitar.” She wrinkled her nose, typical Blossom disdain, but then her face fell just a fraction. 

“... Didn't Jason play guitar?” Archie hazarded a guess. “He was taking lessons from Miss Grundy too, right?” 

“Not _your_ kind of lessons,” Cheryl snapped but there was no venom behind it. “But. Yes. Jason was taking independent study for guitar and singing.” 

“And this was his guitar.” Archie looked down at the box. “Why did you want to give it to me? Wouldn't you want to keep that?” 

“... my father gave Jason that guitar. A middle school graduation present.” Cheryl said quietly. 

“Oh.” Archie looked at his shoes. “Um. What did you get?” He tried valiantly to change the subject. Cheryl fixed him with an icy stare. 

“Ah,” Archie said. Then he pushed back on his heels a little, looking up at the sky. It was such a little gesture- thoughtless, buying time, a physical manifestation of an awkward pause. Jason had used to do that. Cheryl's eyes softened. 

“Anyway,” she said, voice kinder. “I don't know how to play.” 

“I'll teach you.” Archie blurted. “I mean. If you wanted to know. It might be a nice thing to- to be able to share something he loved. Even if you don't- you know, or it doesn't matter where it came from? Jason's the one who loved it?” Archie was floundering.

“Tuesdays and Thursdays after football and cheerleading?” She found herself asking. “Just for an hour or so?” 

Archie seemed taken aback by her answer. Like he hadn't quite thought through what her response might be, what commitment that might entail. Archie Andrews was sort of lousy at commitment. But he liked to try. 

“Yeah,” he said. “That's great!” He smiled and the light caught his hair just so. Cheryl caught her breath as she watched him leave. 

She showed up that Tuesday in a black and silver mini backless sweater dress, run through with metallic thread. Every time she leaned over the guitar a dangerous amount of thigh showed. She shifted position often, uncomfortable. Her long hair, perfectly curled and styled tumbled down over her shoulders and over the guitar and she constantly had to flick locks impatiently back from her face. As he ran down the chord progression with her, one of her perfect nails snagged, ripped a tiny edge off. Cheryl set her teeth. Archie braced for an explosion. When she left, he sighed with relief. 

“Taming dragons?” Jughead quipped when he came up to the bedroom. 

“Getting singed. I think she hated it,” Archie confessed. “I'm probably a bad teacher. I don't think she'll come back.” 

“What are you worrying about it for?” Jughead saved the game he was playing and set it aside. 

“I just wanted to help her get a little closure with Jason. All this stuff-the murder, family turning on her- I can't imagine how tough it is. But music helped me and it helped him when he was going through everything with Polly so...”

“Not everything can be fixed with a friendly musical number, Arch.” Jughead said dryly. Then, noting his friend's downcast face added, “but it can't hurt.”

Archie half-smiled. “We'll make an optimist of you yet.”

“Between you and Betty? I'm the realist, kid.” Jughead laid back on the bed. 

“How is Betty?” Archie asked casually. “I haven't had a chance to talk to her about... everything.” 

“Spending a lot of time with Polly, I think.” Jughead said nonchalantly. “We're going to a movie Friday. You and Veronica want to meet up at Pop's after? It'll be nice to see everyone together. I'm sure Betty will text Kevin.” 

“Yeah,” Archie echoed. “It'll be nice.” 

The second lesson, Cheryl came in still in cheer-gear, mouth set in a thin line. “Bathroom,” she said shortly. Wordlessly, Archie showed her the way. She was in there a while and he wandered back out to the garage, mindlessly strumming until she finally appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were a little red from crying. Her face was bare of make up except a few lingering traces of waterproof mascara. She wore leggings and a tank top under an expensive looking Z Zegna hoodie. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a loose braid. When she held her fingers in position, he noticed that her nails were still immaculately polished and groomed but were now significantly shorter. 

“Okay,” Archie said, heartened, and began. 

Afterwards, Cheryl took herself back to the restroom. She came out powdered, lacquered and pressed, hair loose and flowing. When he went into the bathroom later, he found the hoodie hanging neatly on a cedar hanger over the towel rack. 

He left it out for her the next two weeks and she stubbornly ignored it. Absently, one practice where they were really making headway and it was getting dark and a little cold, Archie shrugged on the nearest piece of clothing. He didn't recognize the item until it had settled over his shoulders and Cheryl fixed him with a low, fond, sincere smile before turning back to the guitar. 

It was a nice hoodie. MSRP $649 before tax. He wore it jogging.

“So... dragons or princesses?” Jughead asked idly as he pulled on a clean t-shirt, fingers smoothing the wrinkles carefully in a way he only did when he was going to meet Betty. 

“Hm?” Archie looked up from his history homework. 

“Raven haired princesses or fire breathing dragons? Snow White or Daenerys Targaryen? Veronica or Cheryl?” 

“It isn't like that,” Archie said and sounded distracted. He found, to his mild surprise, that that was true. 

“Ronnie is... Ronnie. She makes me look two, three times. Cheryl and I are... friends? I guess. Nothing...” Archie struggled to explain. Jughead held up a hand. 

“Say no more. Just checking in, ladykiller.” Jughead grabbed a sweater, laced up his shoes. Pulled off his beanie and smoothed down his hair before replacing it. 

“What are you guys up to?” Archie asked curiously. 

“Study date. Maybe pizza.” 

“Then why so fussy?” Archie chuckled. “It's just Betty.”

“Yeah,” Jughead turned his way. “It is.” His voice and his eyes were so warm and full of affection that Archie felt it, tight in his chest. Archie waved it off with another laugh and the moment ended. Jughead bounded down the stairs. Archie glanced up from his desk, caught a glimpse of blonde across the way. Betty, putting on lipgloss, checking her ponytail. Smoothing down her skirts and turning in front of the mirror to check how they fell. She turned out the light. Archie sent a text to Veronica. She replied four hours later. 

Cheryl left a Burberry Cambridge Aboyd Sport Shirt in the bathroom. Archie looked at it a minute before he sighed and put it on, over his t-shirt, and walked back into the garage. She was still strumming, face sharp in concentration and he was struck for a moment by that serious expression. He knew the big family secret, of course, but the similarities hadn't occurred to him until that moment, really. She looked up at him, standing still, wearing the shirt. 

“It's easier to play if you put your hair up,” he said nervously. Cheryl bit her lip, tugged her hair over one shoulder and said nothing. 

“It's strange, but she only seems to talk to you and the Coopers.” Veronica stirred her chocolate milkshake with a frown. 

“Betty and Polly?” Archie asked and winced a little at the eagerness in his voice. 

“Right. Mostly baby stuff, but other things too, I think. I'm trying not to pry, I know their situation is a little unique. I think they're a little more alike than it seems on the surface. Something like cousins, right?”

“Yeah. Good, I'm glad,” Archie said. “It's a nice night, can I walk you home?” 

“You may,” Veronica said regally and winked. 

Cheryl started dropping bits of information. Casually, like breadcrumbs ( “Betty's thinking about going into Law or Criminal Psychology or something. Maybe work for the FBI. Such a Nancy Drew.”). Archie wracked his brain for Jason stories. He even went so far as to track down Reggie, ask him about Jason's play style. Reggie looked a little incredulous but once he started talking and figuring out what Archie was doing, he paused. Thought. 

“Nah, man. Cheryl's not going to want football stories. She can read old Blue and Gold articles for that. And she was there for most of them anyway. Go talk to Valerie's brother. They were tight before things got ugly.” Then Reggie clapped him on the arm and walked away, leaving Archie stunned and stuttering a reply no one heard. 

After Archie told her about the time Jason had two milkshakes with Polly before practice and threw up strawberry in the pool, Cheryl switched her hairstyle. Archie's eyes went wide when he saw the light blue sweater out of the corner of his eye. Cheryl stood in the doorway, playing with the buttons. Her hair was in a ponytail.

“I stopped next door. It was chilly. Betty lent this to me.” She explained, erroneously. 

“I pulled up a new song since you're doing so well with the last one. This one's easy.” Archie answered, phone in one hand, sheet music in the other. 

It was the textured Armani Collezioni dress shirt that gave him away. 

“Archie, where the hell did you get this?” Jughead held it out like it was on fire, shaking it a little. Archie didn't meet his eyes. Jughead walked over to the bed and dropped it in Archie's lap. 

“Take a look at the cuff. No, the other one. See, the buttons don't quite match. One got caught in my hair when Jason grabbed my beanie off my head and threw it in the street. A truck ran it over. It was a sad day in the life of a Jones.” 

“Oh,” said Archie weakly. 

“Why, _pray tell_ , do you have Jason Blossom's shirt?” 

“...Cheryl.” said Archie quietly. 

Jughead spun in a frustrated little circle. “ _Arch-_ ” 

“No, I know. It's weird. But it's not weird? I'm just teaching her guitar, seriously. Nothing is happening. But she keeps leaving clothes over, and I don't know. They're nice clothes and it makes her happy and I don't know. It doesn't bug me? But it should bug me? But it does bug me just not enough. Is that weird? It's not weird. It's just clothes.” Archie finished, looking at the floor. 

Jughead sat on the floor in a little huff, directly in Archie's line of sight. 

“It's weird, dude.” Jughead said emphatically. “Like _mega-super-ultra weird._ ” 

“Oh,” said Archie sadly. 

“But,” Jughead continued after a moment. “I mean. A lot of things are weird.” 

“That's true,” Archie said cautiously. 

“And if she's not trying to call you Jay-Jay or have her weird little redheaded eugenics babies with y-”

“Oh god, _stop,_ ” Archie pleaded but he was laughing. “No, man. At this point, she's pretty good with the basic chords. We're not even sitting next to each other most times. It's just... she'll be on the couch and playing and I'll be over on the recliner maybe, songwriting or whatever, and we're just quiet in a room together. And it's nice. It's not flirting or small talk, it's just being really comfortable around someone like you've known them all your life.” 

Jughead thought about it. “Like you and me?” He asked finally. 

“Yeah,” Archie lied. “Like that.”

He got a text from Betty- not a group invite to Pop's or a good luck before the game. It's one meant just for him. 

_It's really nice what you're doing for Cheryl._

Perfect punctuation. Betty all over. 

“She's just scared to be alone with you, I think.” Cheryl said suddenly, strumming the chords to Happy Birthday awkwardly and without much attention. She switched halfway through to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. She was wearing expensive track pants and if the color pink clashed a little with her red hair, well. It was up in a clip anyway, a little messy in her face and the little half grimace she gave when switching cords and snagging a new callous was just like the face Betty made when she was puzzling over the contents of an engine, annoyance warring with determination. 

“Yeah?” Archie sat up a little. “Scared she, uh. She still...?” He wasn't able to put it into words. 

“I think,” Cheryl said slowly, looking down at her hands, “she's scared she doesn't anymore. Because that would mean she's finally over it. That she's moved on to the next chapter of her life.” 

Strumming. Archie chewed on a pencil absently. 

“She has,” he said finally. “She already has.” 

~~

The next time he gives a lesson, Betty and Veronica come. They just sit quietly in the corner, doing each others toe nails. They also do Archie's [neon orange], and, later, when he came in late from a writing session, a slow, shy, surprised ( _Betty_ ) grin he didn't try to hide spreading across his face, Jughead's [forest green]. Archie wears an old pair of sweats. Cheryl wears a dark gray t-shirt. Everyone listens politely and then claps and hoots and cheers when she finishes a stirring 3 string rendition of Love Me Tender. 

It's a good night.

**Author's Note:**

> Hurriedly cranking out AU fics because I know canon's gonna go some crazy place next week and I'll be floundering till next season. Comment me up! It's a labor of love.


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